Can opener



Feb. 8, 1955 sTALLER 2,701,413

CAN OPENER Filed June 21, 1954 2 Shee ts-Sheet l INVENTOR.

Stu I ler Karel J0 0 f Feb. 8, 1955 R J. STALLER CAN OPENER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 21, 1954 INVENTOR. J2? Stu Iler Kurel ATTORNEY Unimd States Patent C CAN OPENER Karel Jan Staller, Woodside, N. Y.

Application June 21, 1954, Serial No. 438,157

4 Claims. (Cl. 30-16) the opener, and which may be used without any ad-.

justment to open cans of any size or shape.

The said and numerous other objects and advantages of my invention will be more fully understood from the following specification when taken with the accompanying drawing in which in addition to a schematic showing explaining the application of the principles of my invention two embodiments thereof are illustrated.

In the drawing Figs. 1 and 2 show schematically the structural parts of my new can opener and illustrate the operating positions thereof before, and after the punching operation,

Figs. 3 and 4 show side views, partially in section of one embodiment in two operating positions namely at the start and at the completion, respectively, of the canopening punching action,

Fig. 5 shows a top view thereof,

Fig. 6 shows a side view, partially in section, of a modiisied detail of the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 3 to Figs. 7 and 8 show a side view, partially in section, of another embodiment in two operating positions namely at the start and at the completion, respectively, of the can-opening punching action, and

Fig. 9 shows a top view thereof.

The same reference numerals indicate the same or equivalent parts in all figures of the drawing.

First referring to the schematic showing in Figs. 1 and 2 the principles underlying the construction and operation of my new can opener may be described as follows:

The can opener comprises a punching blade adapted to puncture the top of a can 16 and a collapsible quadrangular frame composed of a supporting member such as a base plate or bracket 11 fixable in substantially vertical position, an upper and a lower lever 12 and 13 respectively, and a link 14. The said blade 15 is swing ably mounted upon said link 14 or as shown upon an arm or other projection 14' thereof to extend outwardly from said frame and is operated to penetrate the top of a can by means which are actuated by the frame while the same is being at least partially collapsed in the direction of arrows 2 from the positions shown in Fig. 1 to that shown in Fig. 2. In these figures said means operating said blade 15 comprise, for example, a toggle lever consisting of the members 17, 18 jointed together end to end and with their outer ends to the upper lever 12 and to the link 14, respectively, intermediate thereof, the blade 15 being integral with the toggle lever member 17 and exchangeable if desired. If the can 16 is placed against the link 14 of the open frame as shown in Fig. l and if thereafter the can is moved upward and sideward in the direction of arrows 2 to collapse the frame into the position shown in Fig. 2, the toggle lever 17, 18 will be bent and the blade 15 being integral with the toggle lever member 17 will penetrate the top of the can 16. The blade l5kis preferable protected by a cover 19 attached to the lin 1 In the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 3, 4 and 5 the frame having at least substantially the shape of a parallelogram is formed by the support 11 screwed or otherwise secured in substantially vertical position to a wall or other structure, an upper and a lower lever 12 and 13 respectively, and a link 14, and may be collapsed from the position shown in Fig. 3 to that shown in Fig. 4. A

. toggle lever consisting of the members 17, 18 jointed together end to end is jointed with its outer ends to' the upper lever 12 and to the link 14, respectively, intermediate thereof. The punching blade 15 which may be exchangeable is integral with the toggle lever member 17 and projects therefrom outwardly from said frame. If

" a can 16 is held against the open-frame as shown in Fig. 3

and moved upward and sideward in the direction of arrows 4 into the position shown in Fig. 4 thereby col-- lapsing the frame, the toggle lever 17, 18 will be bent out of the frame and the blade 15'extending from the toggle lever member 17 will be forced against and through the top of the can 16 thus punching the same.

The toggle lever 17, 18 operated by the frame and actuating the blade 15 as shown in Figs. 3 and 4 may be replaced by other different means actuated by the collapsing frame. Thus, for example in the modification shown in Fig. 6, the blade 15 forms one arm of a double armed lever swingablymounted on a pin 20 arranged intermediate upon the link 14. The other arm 21 of said lever is connected to said link 14 by a spring 22 'which presses said double armed lever against a strut 23 abutting against a pin 24.or the like arranged intermediate of the upper lever 12. spring 22 will hold the said, members in the assembled relation shown in Fig. 6 and that the blade 15 will be 'forced against and through the top of the can 16 as described above with regard to Figs. 3 and 4 if the frame is being collapsed byan upward and sideward displacement of the can 16. After completion of 'the punching operation, as illustrated in Fig. 4 with regard to the first embodiment, the said spring 22 will resiliently retract the collapsed frame and the blade 15 into the initial position shown in Fig. 6.

The embodiment illustrated in Figs. 7, 8 and 9 comprises again a collapsible quadrangular frame composed of a fixable support 11, an upper and a lower lever 12 and 13, respectively, and a link 14, and a punching blade 15 operated by means which are actuated by said frame while the same is being collapsed from the open position shown in Fig. 7 into the depressed position shown in Fig. 8. These means to operate the punching blade 15 which may be exchangeable include once more a toggle lever 17, 18 inserted between the upper lever 12 and the link 14, the said blade 15 being integral with the toggle lever member 17 and extending therefrom outwardly from said frame. The toggle lever member 18 is extended to form a double arm lever swingably mounted upon a pin 25 arranged intermediate on the lever 12 outside the longitudinal axis thereof. The extended arm of the toggle lever member 18 is connected to the upper lever 12 by a tension spring 26 which tends to hold said double armed toggle lever member 18 in a position substantially parallel to the axis of said lever 12. The toggle lever member 17 is provided at its inner end jointed to the member 18 with a nose or the like 27 cooperating therewith to prevent a stretching of the toggle lever over the initial position shown in Fig. 7. Said member 17 is held in such projects. It will be well understood that the frames 11,

12, 13, 14 and the structural parts connected therewith will be held in the initial position shown in Fig. 7 by the action of the springs 26 and 29. When a can 16 is held against the link 14 as shown in Fig. 7 and thereafter is displaced upward and sideward in the direction of arrows 8 into the position shown in Fig. 8 the collapsing frame will bend the toggle lever 17, 18 and force the blade 15 to penetrate the top of the can. After removal of the can the device will be resiliently retracted by the action of the springs 26 and 29 into the initial position shown in Fig. 7.

My can opener may be provided with means for re moving caps 30 from bottles 31 or the like. As shown Patented Feb. 8,1955

It will be understood that said the lower lever 13 is provided with a gripping jaw or lug 32 which engages the rim of the cap 30 while the support 11 is provided with a projection 33 adapted to abut against a central portion of said cap. When the bottle 31 is tilted as indicated by the arrow 34 the cap will be lifted and removed from said bottle.

While specific embodiments of my invention have been shown and described in detail to illustrate the "application of the principles of my invention, it will be well understood that the same may be otherwise embodied without departing from the disclosedprinciples.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A can opener of the punch type comprising in combination a fixable support, an upper and a lower lever hinged at one of their ends to said support for swinging movement in a substantially vertical plane, alink jointed to and connecting the other ends of said upper and lower levers to form therewith and with said support a collapsible quadrangular frame, a punching blade adapted to puncture the top of a can,'said"blade swingably attached to said link and in its initial position projecting therefrom outwardly from said frame, and means actuated by the frame while the same is being at least partially collapsed to swing said blade from said initial position to puncture the top of the can.

2. A can opener of the punch type comprising in combination a fixable support, an upper and a lower lever hinged at one of their ends to said support for swinging movement in a substantially vertical plane, a link jointed to and connecting the other ends of said upper and lower levers to form therewith and with saidsupport a collapsible quadrangular frame, a punching blade adapted to puncture the top of a can, and a'toggle lever jointed with one outer end to said upper lever intermediate thereof and with its other outer end to said link intermediate thereof, said blade being integral with the toggle lever member jointed to said link and in initial position projecting therefrom outwardly from said frame.

3. A can opener of the punch type comprising in combination a fixable support, an upper and a lower lever hinged at one of their ends to said support for swinging movement in a substantially vertical plane, a link jointed to and connecting the other ends of said upper and lower levers to form therewith and with said support a collapsible quadrangular frame, a punching blade to puncture the top of a can, said blade swingably mounted upon said link to project therefrom outwardly from said frame in its initial position preparatory to the punching action, a strut between said blade and an intermediate portion of said upper lever, and resilient means pressing said blade against said strut to hold the blade in said initial position.

4. A can opener of the punch type comprising in combination a fixable support, an upper and a lower lever hinged at one of their ends to said support for swinging movement in a substantially vertical plane, a link jointed to and connecting the other ends of said upper and lower levers to form therewith and with said support a collapsible quadrangular frame, a punching blade adapted to puncture the top of a can, and means actuated by the frame while the same is being at least partially collapsed to swing said blade from said initial position to puncture the top of the can, said means including a toggle lever composed of a first and a second member jointed together at their inner ends, the first toggle lever member being swingably mounted upon said upper lever, first resilient means holding said first member in a position extending outwardly from said frame, the said blade being integral with said other toggle lever member and extending therefrom outwardly from said frame in its initial position preparatory to the punching action, locking means preventing the toggle lever to exceed a predetermined bent position, and second resilient means holding said toggle lever in such predetermined position.

No references cited. 

